Implement for perforating a cigarette



Sept. 30, 1958 o. STAMM IMPLEMENT FOR PERFORATING A CIGARETTE Filed Aug. 6, 1954 United .States Patent EOR'PERFORATINGvA'RCIGARETTE Orville L. Stamm,"Chicago,'Ill.

. Applicafion August 6,- I95'4, Serial No." 448',236 2 "Claims. (Cl. 131-170 :Thisinvention relates to an improvedrmethodandeap tparatus for "enhancing ithe smoking 1 quality of .tobacco products and :more particularly :to a lmetho'd Land sap- -pa'ratus I for the reduction :of all isources :of z-irrita'tion to which tobacco smokers are znormallymubjected.

ltais a principal object of this :invention ito 'providea'an .improved method and apparatus for :theireductionz of .2111 (Characteristics of tobaccoismoke'which inight' causelirritation' to the smoker.

It is tltherefore -'a .further object or this'l'invention to reduce characteristics :of tobacco smoke which :might either :directly cause or aggravate infecti'on or disease.

this another object of this .inventionlto reduce the temperature of the inhaled rgases .resulting'from'ltobacco ssmokin'g.

It is a further object of this invention .1 to reduce the tars and irritants present in a given quantity of the gases inhaled by'a; tobacco smoker.

It is another object ofthisf invention'to improve the .tastequalityof tobacco smoke.

It is another object of this invention to .pr'ovide an implement "fortreating cigarettes whereby the-harshness and irritation sometimes accompanying smokingaregreat- ';It is another object of this invention to sprovide a portable 'device'for accomplishing the-reduction of'irri- .tants intobacco smoke and more particularly ardevice present ina given average cigarettesmoke inhalation -are reduced up to 40% whilethe'temperature of thetsmoke "inhaled by the average smoker is reduced as much as F.

Further and additional objects will becomemanifest from-a consideration ofthis specification, the accompanying drawings and theapperrded'claims.

"In "one 'form' of this invention anel'ongated pocket device is provided having clip means for engagement with the users pocket when the device is being transported. More particularly the device comprises a base portion having a pair of elongated arcuate side members extending upwardly therefrom to generally define a cylindrical area adapted to receive a cigarette. Extending upwardly from the base into the cylindrical area are a plurality of aligned spikes orpoints adapted to perforate the paper Wrapper on a given cigarette providing spaced holes of predetermined size whereby cooling air is mixed with the smoke normally passing through the cigarette.

For a more complete understanding of this invention reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of one embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a front plan view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 showing a cigarette in dotted lines as it would normally ice 2 appear whenbeing' operated upon by- -a device .iconstruoted "inaccordance with this invention;

Fig."'3 isaside view of the embodiment'of Fig. 1; -"Fig.- 4 is 'arear view of the embodiment of Fig. 1;

5 Fig. *5 is an'enlarged sectional side view o'fthe embodiment of Fig. 1 taken on the line 55of =Figfi'2; and

Fig.- 6 is a topplan view 'ofthe embodiment of' Fig'. -1. Referring now to the 'drawin'gs and'morepa'rticularly to Fig. 1 a-'device-10comprising one embodiment of this 0 invention 1 adapted "for accomplishing themethod taught by-this invention-is shown. "The device comprises an elongate planarbase web 12 havingaplurality of spikes or points 14 integrally formed "therewith and punched --'outWardlygenerally transversethereto. -A*pocket clip I6 is formed at one end of the base '12-and is appropriately shaped "and ffolde'd tooverlie a p ortion of 1 the web 12. As 'shown in Fig. 3,Lthe free end 18 of-the pocket clip 16= is formed inwardly to resiliently engage the base 1 2to provide means for maintaining the device on'a'web 'mem'ber such 'as apocket'orthe like. Formed along the twotlon'gitudinal edges of the 'base' 1-2 are'two flanges '20 and 22which partially overliethe'base. Along the other- 'wise free edges of fianges 20'-and '22 =arcuate-or'concave web portions '24 and 26 extend outwardly 'fromthe base in spacedrelationship'to define a generally cylindrical Jarea therebetWeen. The "free edges ZrtB and 30 "of :the arcuate portionsis24 and 26 are-flared outwardly=somewhat to F form a divergent receiving space into which a cigarette may be deposited 1 and forced inwardly into "the cylindrical area between lthe "arcuate portions 24 and 26. The ove'rlying'flanges mid -22 provide'limitedre- *siliency whereby thearcuate portions yield asufficien'tly to permit 'insertion of -a cigarette.

The manner in= which-a cigarette is placed into" thedevice 10--is illustrated in .the front'plan'--view of Fig.'2 wherein a cigarette is indicated by the dot-ted lines 32 and is shown in place between the arcuate-surfa'ces 24 and 26 0f the'fdevice 10. 'Theprecise-ma-nner and de- 40 greeto' whichthe spikes14 penetrate'thecigarette wrapper Land contents isindicatedin Figs. 5 and 6. Therein it can be seen-that the spikes 14' are forced into the cigarette in- Sdicated by the dotted'lines 32.to'a1imited arid predeter- .minedextent.

The spikes 14-have tapered shapes sothat the degree 4 cofinsertion into the cigarette is critical, as thisdetermines thesize of the holes produced. It is important'to ithe :satisfactory method and apparatus taughtfby this invention that the puncturesand apertures formed in the .rcigarette be of an appropriate and predetermined'size. xGenerallythezapertures-will-=be very small, the dimensions 'thereofbeing of the order'of'l square-millimeter or less and spaced approximately /2" apart'in'one particular -z'errrbo'dimer'it. c' f the invention. It is 'founduhat ap'ertures of this general size and spacing are adequate to introduce the desired amount of fresh clean air into the cigarette to substantially reduce both the temperature of the smoke passing through the cigarette and the percentage by weight of tars and dust in the smoke while maintaining all of the desirable smoking quality.

In one scientifically controlled experiment comparing the temperature of smoke passing through various cigarettes, and the amount of tars and dust present in such smoke, a striking and convincing difference was found between the smoke of a cigarette smoked in its unmodified form and an identical cigarette taken from the same package smoked in its modified form after being operated upon by the apparatus disclosed herein and in accordance with the method described. Utilizing a regular length cigarette of standard manufacture it was determined that 6.13 milligrams of tars and dust are inhaled by a smoker in taking ten average puffs or inhalations thereon. When the same test is performed upon an identical cigarette modified in accordance with this invention, that is having spaced apertures aligned longitudinally along the length of the cigarette, the weight of tars and dust inhaled by the smoker taking ten average puffs on said cigarette was reduced to 4.07 milligrams or about 66% of the tars and dust present in an unmodified cigarette. Each puif, it was found in tests using human subjects, produced all of the pleasurable sensations whether the cigarette was modified in accordance with this invention or not and, in fact, in most cases human subjects found that smoke inhaled in a cigarette modified in accordance with this invention is more pleasurable because of the reduced temperature, tars, and dust of the inhaled smoke.

The temperature of the inhaled smoke was measured in a series of tests using human subjects and thermocouples contained within the oral area of the subjects. It was found that the temperature of smoke in the subjects mouth increased as the test progressed and the cigarette became shorter. In smoking a regular cigarette in unmodified form, the temperature of the smoke as it entered the smokers mouth at the beginning of the test was approximately 76 F. and the temperature increased during the test until, at the end of the tenth inhalation, the temperature had increased to 115 F. and the cigarette was reduced to a butt approximately /z long. In a similar test conducted with a cigarette modified in accordance with this invention the temperature of the smoke inhaled after the first inhalation was on the average 73" F. and after puifs the temperature had increased to only 96 F., thus indicating that a substantial reduction in average smoke temperature is accomplished by the teaching of this invention.

While it is true that for a given inhalation on the modified cigarette less tobacco is consumed than in an identical inhalation with a standard unmodified cigarette, this is considered to be a benefit rather than a detriment in that all of the pleasure and satisfaction is still present in a puff on the modified cigarette and, in many cases,

an actual improvement and increased pleasure is registered by the user.

One particular device adapted for portable use and pocket wear is shown and described in this specification.

While applicant has found that one particularly satisfactory modified cigarette includes four apertures having an area of approximately 1 square millimeter and being spaced apart in the order of /2" and centrally disposed along the length of the cigarette, the precise size and arrangement of apertures may depend upon the taste of the individual smoker, the firmness of the tobacco and various other factors. If a cooler and more dilute smoke is desired by the user a greater number of apertures more closely spaced or the same number of apertures, each aperture having a larger diameter, may be employed. All of these variations, however, are clearly within the scope of this invention.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain the character of my invention that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under varying conditions of service, while retaining certain features which may properly be said to constitute the essential items of novelty involved, which items are intended to be defined and secured to me by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A one piece device for perforating a cigarette to modify the smoking quality thereof, comprising an elongated substantially channel shaped body having a fiat base portion and resilient arms extending from opposite edges thereof defining the sides of the channel, said arms having web portions extending from said base and converging toward each other, and'terminating in a plane spaced above said base and defining an open zone therebetween, said arms terminating in cylindrically curved gripping portions joined to said web portions in said plane, and having outwardly flared free ends, and defining a continuation of said zone for resiliently releasably receiving and gripping a cigarette spaced above said base in a position tangent to said plane, a plurality of aligned spikes spaced longitudinally on said base and extending upwardly from .said base and having tapered points extending into said zone above said plane a distance less than the distance between said plane and said base, whereby a standard cigarette gripped in said zone will be perforated by said points at spaced intervals along the line of tangency of said cigarette and said plane to a depth substantially less than the radius of the cigarette.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 and including a resilient pocket clip comprising a resilient tab extending from one end of said base and overlying and urged toward said base exteriorly of the channel shaped body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 225,848 McAleer Mar. 23, 1880 463,786 Davidson Nov. 24, 1891 588,974 Forst et al. Aug. 31, 1897 781,488 Blumer Jan. 31, 1905 1,090,716 Howe Mar. 17, 1914 1,439,351 Alsip Dec. 19, 1922 1,523,255 .Buennemann Jan. 13, 1925 1,778,482 Burns Oct. 14, 1930 1,999,688 Elliott Apr. 30, 1935 2,099,963 Prager Nov. 23, 1937 2,314,147 Langdon Mar. 16, 1943 2,673,566 Belmont Mar. 30, 1954 2,694,399 Parker Nov. 16, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 15,353 Great Britain 1909 471,269 France July 6, 1914 1,020,000 France Nov. 12, 1952 

